Christian E. Dysart

Christian works closely with colleagues across Maynard Nexsen's full range of practice areas,  including corporate, regulatory, employment, and litigation - to give clients a single point of contact who can coordinate comprehensive representation rather than a narrow defense. That cross-functional approach mirrors the role many clients look for in an embedded legal advisor, delivered instead through a flexible, outside-counsel relationship.

He is a trusted advisor to businesses and executives navigating high-stakes legal risk - from regulatory scrutiny and government investigations to the reputational and operational fallout that often accompanies them. With more than 16 years in private practice, he brings the judgment of a seasoned trial lawyer to the role many clients need most: an outside counsel who can sit alongside leadership, anticipate exposure before it becomes a crisis, and manage it discreetly when it does.

Christian's practice sits at the intersection of litigation, compliance, and crisis management. He advises companies and individuals on criminal and civil exposure arising from antitrust concerns, securities issues, political and regulatory matters, and allegations of fraudulent business practices. He has guided clients through Grand Jury Subpoenas, Target Letters, and government inquiries - often as the first call when an organization learns it may be under scrutiny - and has advised other attorneys and professionals on how to protect themselves and their institutions when compelled to testify.

A core part of Christian's value to clients is what happens before a matter becomes public: he has negotiated non-prosecution agreements, pretrial diversion agreements, deferred prosecutions, and outright dismissals, helping individuals and organizations resolve exposure without the disruption of formal charges. He has also successfully protected professional licensure for clients whose careers were at risk. This same judgment extends to helping clients build practical safeguards - internal protocols, communication strategies, and escalation plans - that reduce the likelihood of future exposure.

Before joining Maynard Nexsen, Christian founded and served as Managing Partner of Dysart Willis, a full-service criminal defense firm he launched in 2010 after clerking at the Supreme Court of North Carolina and completing a fellowship at Duke Law School's Center for Criminal Justice and Professional Responsibility. A Raleigh native, he has handled hundreds of matters throughout North Carolina and in federal courts nationally.

Community & Professional

• Tenth Judicial District Bar
• Wake County Bar Association
• North Carolina Bar Association
• American Bar Association, Antitrust Section

Outside Maynard Nexsen

Christian loves to fly fish for trout and religiously follows the Carolina Hurricanes. He and his wife have three children, all college athletes, and a 105lb Black Lab named Milo. He and his wife regularly attend concerts throughout the country. SEE YOU AT THE ROCK SHOW!

• Representation of a federal defendant wrongly accused due to mistaken identity (secured a post-indictment dismissal)

• Grand Jury representation for witness entity in an antitrust bid-rigging investigation
• Grand Jury / trial witness representation (secured a Non-Prosecution Agreement) in an antitrust bid-rigging matter
• Corporate entity representation in GOOGLE antitrust investigation
• Grand Jury / trial witness representation in a healthcare fraud matter
• Representation of a physician witness in Civil DOJ investigation
• Witness representation in a FTC agriculture industry investigation
• Grand Jury witness representation in a federal bribery / fraud matter
• DOJ election law / political corruption witness representation
• Representation of a high-profile cooperating defendant in an Immigration / bank fraud matter involving a Russian national
• Representation in multiple federal and state healthcare fraud matters
• Representation in Target Letter matter (secured Pre-Trial Diversion)
• Representation in multiple military / contractor procurement fraud matters
• Professional licensure representation for attorneys, physicians, nurses, realtors, professors, teachers and other school employees, therapists, and a dentist
• Representation for active-duty military and members of law enforcement
• Representation in multiple IRS / NC Department of Revenue tax / tax fraud matters

Recognition

• North Carolina Super Lawyers (2018-Present)
• National Academy of Criminal Defense Attorneys - Nationally Ranked Top Ten Attorney (North Carolina, 2022-2023)
• Business North Carolina Legal Elite (2026)
• Best Lawyers in America® for Criminal Defense: White-Collar (2027)

Podcasts